Page 12 of Nugget

Somehow without Gavin realizing it, he’d started to look forward to running into Axel. Gavin hadn’t been looking for family. He hadn’t expected anything. Still that was what he’d gotten, wasn’t it? Family. A chance to make a real life. A reason to stop running away.

Gavin stopped to rest his hand on one of the large oaks. Adam had given the roots a burst of nourishment, helping the struggling tree. They all needed a little assistance occasionally. He’d needed it. Now Gavin was in the position to help others. To make sure that Stryker stayed out of trouble. At least for as long as Stryker was around Gavin and his family.

Giving the tree trunk one last pat, Gavin restarted his journey away from his cabin to the center of the state park.

They hadn’t had any trouble in the last few months, but Axel still preferred for them to stay within the family land where they were more protected. With each newly added member of their family, the protection and abilities had grown. Axel, Gavin, and the others’ biggest worry was ensuring the boys would always be safe. Stryker might not be family but being outside the property lines he was still more at risk, and Gavin didn’t like that.

Not that Gavin would tell Stryker that.

Stryker had already said many times that he could take care of himself when Gavin mentioned any concerns. Stryker might be a genius but he wasn’t just dealing with pissed-off humans any longer. The paranormal community had more of a reach than local humans did. Stryker was now part of their world. He should understand that after his interaction with the witches that had imprisoned the boy.

Another ten minutes of walking off-path and Gavin reached the small round cleared area that led to the RV parking slots. Visitors to the state park could choose to bring a vehicle with access to electricity and water sites or camp in a tent. The camping areas were monitored by rangers and cameras. It didn’t surprise Gavin that Stryker had picked the RV slot farthest from the entrance where he would have the most privacy. Usually that was the last spot taken since it was an inconvenience for the visitors that wanted to take advantage of what the state park and surrounding areas offered.

Staying hidden by the trees, Gavin crouched to settle in and wait.

If Stryker kept to his nightly routine, he would be leaving to ride his bike to the only twenty-four-hour store in town. The boy would pick up a bag of chips, candy bar, and energy drink. Thesame thing every single night. Sometimes the candy bar might be a different brand but not the chips or energy drink.

Gavin would have twenty minutes to get inside the RV and leave his clue.

Each night when the boy left, he already wore his helmet before jumping onto his motorcycle. Gavin still hadn’t gotten a good look at him. By this point Gavin had to admit that Levi was right. It didn’t matter what Stryker looked like, Gavin was too intrigued to walk away. Although Noah was always quick to share how attractive Stryker was in what Noah claimed was a typical ‘bad boy’ look. Gavin didn’t have the nerve to ask since the boys always sighed heavily as they nodded. Gavin would just find out for himself.

Just as Gavin predicted, the door to the large gray and black RV opened and a dark figure stepped out. Stryker didn’t stop and look around or anything. That disappointed Gavin. The boy should always search his surroundings. Most likely Stryker relied on his cameras for his safety. He should also know that camera feeds could be tampered with. Not that Gavin had that ability but he needed to have a very serious conversation with Stryker later.

With his enhanced sight, Gavin had the perfect view when Stryker bent over to check something on his bike. The black utility pants hugged Stryker’s ass, making Gavin’s mouth water. He nearly stepped from his hiding place. The plan. Gavin needed to stick with the plan. He wanted to make sure that Stryker enjoyed the game as much as he did. Gavin was changing the rules.

Stryker swung his leg over the bike before turning on the engine. The bike rumbled in the dark of the night before the boy revved the engine and took off. Gavin waited.

The sound of the bike echoed around the trees.

Anticipation crawled up his spine.

Either Gavin was going to get his hands on Stryker before the morning light or this game between them would come to an end. He was betting that Stryker would fall right into his trap.

He set the timer on his watch.

Gavin was certain that Stryker would have cameras and security on his RV and hoped he wasn’t disappointed. The next part of the game wouldn’t be any fun if Gavin didn’t watch.

By the time the engine was too far to hear, Gavin was finding it hard to stay in place. His timer alerted him and Gavin moved. Stryker would just be getting to the small store.

Carefully stepping out of the trees, Gavin headed right to the RV door.

Unlocked.

What the fuck was wrong with the boy?

Who didn’t lock their door in a public RV park?

Shaking his head, Gavin opened the door and climbed the three steps. He walked in and looked around.

Curtains blocked Gavin’s view of the driver and passenger seat. Not that Gavin cared about that. The kitchen table had been turned into a makeshift desk.

He strolled closer to peer at the monitor showing his own face.

Yes, his boy would get an up-close look at Gavin in his place. Gavin waved.

If Stryker had a live feed connected, he would get the notification and probably haul ass back. That meant that Gavin had less than ten or fifteen minutes. He was certain that it wouldn’t take Stryker the full twenty minutes to return.

The RV was nice. Done in shades of gray, black, and blues. High-quality appliances that appeared brand new. The kitchen was spotless other than the empty cans of energy drinks in the sink.

---